*Serrano and jalapeño peppers can sting and irritate the skin, so wear rubber gloves when handling peppers and do not touch your eyes.

Preparation

Combine 2 tablespoons onion, 1 tablespoon cilantro, chilies and garlic in large mortar. Grind with pestle until almost smooth. (Mixture can be processed in blender, if necessary, but it will become more watery than desired.)

To loosen skin from tomato, place tomato in small saucepan of boiling water 30 to 45 seconds. Rinse immediately under cold running water. Peel tomato; cut crosswise in half. Gently squeeze each half to remove and discard seeds. Chop tomato.